Asian internet once again stirred up trouble with one of the most surreal complaints we’ve seen recently. Through various social networks, a segment of the Chinese public tried to launch a real boycott against the acclaimed animated adaptation of Sousou no Frieren (Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End). The reason for their anger? They accused the series of promoting machismo simply because the female protagonists wear skirts and for daring to include a couple of harmless jokes about breast size, arguing that these aesthetic elements only exist on screen to please the male gaze.

As expected, the community didn’t stay silent to these puritanical accusations and quickly dismantled the detractors’ arguments by exposing their blatant double standard. Supporters of the work reminded that the story includes scenes where female characters use divination magic to mercilessly mock the physical attributes of men, situations that everyone applauded as excellent comedy. In response to this ridiculous complaint that laughing at men is humor but doing so at women is an intolerable lack of respect, many fans sarcastically suggested to the offended that they should better watch episodes of Peppa Pig if they couldn’t handle classic Japanese fantasy humor.

Despite this absurd controversy, the franchise continues to prove it’s an unstoppable global success. With a second season that dominated screens from January to March 2026, and a third already confirmed by the production committee for the future, the only real headache for fans is the state of the original manga. The acclaimed work written by Kanehito Yamada and illustrated by Tsukasa Abe remains on an indefinite hiatus since October 2025, an editorial decision made solely to protect the authors’ health and adjust its frantic publication pace.

Seeing how vocal internet sectors always seek any excuse to be offended by anime’s design or harmless jokes, do you think Japanese studios will eventually pay attention to these Western complaints or completely ignore the criticism to keep their works’ essence intact?